The invention pertains to a rack for storage and display of articles, and more particularly, pertains to a rack whose individual hangers or hooks are capable of being freely displaced and repositioned.
In the past, arrangements for the storage and display of articles have generally included a hook or hanger structure upon which to hang articles for storage or display. Often, the hook or hanger was somehow permanently attached to a rack, as by being mechanically affixed to the rack by means of hardware, such as nuts and bolts, or by welding. Alternatively, means and methods were devised by which the hooks could be rearranged in order to increase the flexibility of the display system. A common means of doing this was to attach a hanger or peg to a flattened plate, which in turn would slide back and forth within the confines of a C-shaped panel.
Whenever a hook, hanger, or peg would be permanently affixed to a rack, this would present a problem in terms of making the display or storage system inflexible. Whenever it was desired to rearrange hangers, hooks, or pegs because of an inventory change, there was simply no way to do this without taking apart at least a portion of the rack. Although more flexibility was provided by sliding hangers or pegs along in a C-shaped channel, the hanger or peg itself was soldered, welded, or screwed into a flattened plate, which provided a point at which the hanger or peg would break off when the weight of the article became too great. This was frequently impractical when heavier weight articles needed to be hung, and therefore placed a limit on the usefulness of this system.
There is therefore a need in the art for a type of rack to store or display articles that will be flexible in terms of being able to rearrange the means holding those articles, and will also be structurally sound enough to hold heavier weight articles than previously devised flexible rack means.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a rack means for the hanging and display of articles, which can be readily rearranged, and which is capable of bearing heavier weight articles than such racks were capable of bearing in the past. It is another object of the invention to provide a means for identifying articles being stored or displayed on a given portion of the rack, and for being readily able to rearrange the means chosen for identification. It is yet another object of this invention to provide a strong hanger, which can readily be moved back and forth within its rack, and which does not rely upon any mechanical locking means for maintaining its position at a given spot on the rack.
The invention features a one-piece hanger, made of a suitable sturdy gauge of wire, which has been shaped so as to have a leg portion that seats within a U-shaped trough that is an integral part of the rack structure. The invention also features a channel, affixed to the face of the rack, in which identification means are inserted and within which they are moved. It is another feature of the invention that the channel for holding the identification means is positioned on the front of the rack so as to block upward and outward escape of the hanger, which is seated within its trough.
It is an advantage of the invention that a strong and sturdy hanger, hook or peg is able to move freely back and forth along the face of the rack in order to easily rearrange articles as desired. It is another advantage of the invention that identification means are easily inserted into the face of the rack, and are easily rearranged along with hooks as inventory is rearranged. It is yet another advantage of this invention, that although the hangers, hooks, or pegs are made to easily move back and forth along the rack, they cannot slip out or escape from the trough in which they are seated.